Visitor windfall brings cheers

IT IS a rare occasion when big city loss becomes regional centres’ gain, but the long weekend tourism windfall in Cairns has been just that.

Holiday-makers from across Australia chose to escape their cityscapes for a Far North sea change en masse, causing cash registers to be ringing off the hook around town.

Restaurants and hotels were buzzing all weekend, although are expected to quieten down today as people make their journeys home.

But local tourism and business figures are already cheering an economic win for the city, with many applauding the decision to move the Queen’s Birthday holiday to October.

Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland regional manager Amy Turnbull said it encouraged families to take more mini breaks throughout the year.

While international tourism is always the most talked about in terms of economic benefit, the impact of domestic visitors is huge for the Far North.

More than 2.8 million people visited the Far North during the last financial year, injecting $3.37 billion into the local economy.

September and October are a great time to make a trip north too, with the wet season not usually starting for another few weeks and oceans still safe to swim in.

New South Wales family the Jakubiecs came in search of better weather when they chose Cairns as their holiday destination.

And it was not just Cairns which was likely to enjoy major financial benefits from the long weekend, with National Retailers Association CEO Dominique Lamb predicting areas such as the Cassowary Coast and Daintree would also be winners. Grace Mason grace.mason@news.com.au